Tray support for hydraulic beauty shop chair

ABSTRACT

A tray-supporting device which is attachable to a hydraulic lift beauty shop chair having a central piston and an upstanding base. The device consists of a sleeve, a bent piece of tubing, and a tray or trays carried by the tubing. The sleeve is coaxially fitted to the piston for free turning thereabout, and rides atop the base. The tubing has an arm fixed to the sleeve. and an upright post spaced an optimum distance from the piston axis and movable along a concentric path to locations convenient to a beauty operator working around the chair. The trays are free to turn on the post and are adjustably mounted at optimum levels for the operator, the trays being maintained at such levels independently of the height of the chair.

United States Patent 2,542,653 2/1951 Frydenlund 297/242 2,954,95510/1960 Feller 297/188X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,442,126 5/1966 France .4297/194 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Attorney-Herbert E. KidderABSTRACT: A tray-supporting device which is attachable to a hydrauliclift beauty shop chair having a central piston and an upstanding base.The device consists of a sleeve, a bent piece of tubing, and a tray ortrays carried by the tubing. The sleeve is coaxially fitted to thepiston for free turning thereabout, and rides atop the base. The tubinghas an arm fixed to the sleeve. and an upright post spaced an optimumdistance from the piston axis and movable along a concentric path tolocations convenient to a beauty operator working around the chair. Thetrays are free to turn on the post and are adjustably mounted at optimumlevels for the operator, the trays being maintained at such levelsindependently of the height of the chair.

TRAY SUPPORT FOR HYDRAULIC BEAUTY SHOP CHAIR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to beauty shop equipment, and moreparticularly to a tray-supporting device attachable to a beauty shopchair'having a central piston and upstanding base on which the device iswholly supported for easy turning and convenient location of the trayaround the chair within easy reach of the beauty operator working in thearea adjacent to the chair.

A beauty shop customer or patron usually prefers to sit in the chairfacing a mirror so that she can watch the progress of the work beingdone and indicate her desires relative thereto. Beauty shop items, suchas hair rollers, pins, shears, bottles of liquids, etc., used by thebeauty shop operator or worker are normally carried in trays supportedon carts or bases having caster wheels. These tray supports are alwaysgetting in the way of the operator as she moves about in the course ofwork, and often get knocked over, creating a mess which has to becleaned up. Further time and effort are required to restore the items tosanitary working condition. While broadening the wheelbase of the traysupport increases its stability, it also increases the amount of floorarea occupied thereby, with an even greater possibility of the operatortripping thereover. Furthermore, the tray support is difficult to wheelabout, especially when there is a cushioned pad on the floor on whichthe beauty operator stands.

In some shops, the trays are placed on a stationary table or benchlocated adjacent to the chair, and the operator stands nearby, swingingthe chair as necessary during the progress of the work on the patron.While this is somewhat of a solution to the problems presented by theaforementioned wheel-type bases, the patron cannot always watch the workwhich sometimes progresses contrary to the desires'of the patron, andresults in work which must be redone or else you have a dissatisfiedcustomer. Moreover, in addition to the effort required to swing thechair, the operator has to stand for extended periods in substantiallyone spot, which is more tiring than where there is opportunity to moveabout during the work. However, when greater movement is involved, theoperator is often at a considerable distance from the tray when anitemis needed. Thus, when the operator is holding the customers hairwith one hand an overly long reach is required by the other hand with agreater chance of disturbing the hair or dropping the item, thus addingto the time required for the job, and making the work more fatiguing.

In view of the foregoing, it is clear that any device which would notclutter up the work area and which serves to locate items convenientlywithin reach of the operator as she moves about in the course of workwould minimize the danger to and improve the efficiency of the beautyoperator, thus benefiting the beauty shop industry greatly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention isto provide a tray-holding device of simple, inexpensive constructionwhich is easily movable and does not clutter the work area of a beautyoperator, yet serves to locate the tray conveniently within easy reachof the operator, for the safety, comfort and efficiency of the beautyoperator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which supportsthe tray for positioning along a path concentric with the central axisof a beauty shop chair and at optimum level within easy reach of abeauty operator working in the area around the chair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which isreadily attachable to a hydraulic lift beauty shop chair, and supportsthe tray for easy movement to various positions around the chairconveniently within the reach of a beauty operator working in the areaadjacent to the chair, regardless of the height of the chair.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention areachieved by the provision of a tray-supporting device attachable toahydraulic lift beauty shop chair having a central piston and anupstanding base. The device'includes a sleeve which is coaxially fittedto the piston for free turning about the axis thereof and rides on theupper end of the upstanding base. A bent piece of tubing has an armportion fixed to the sleeve and an upright post spaced an optimumdistance from the piston axis for disposition over the area in which abeauty operator works during a beauty operation. The post is movablealong a path concentric with the piston axis, and carries a tray, ortrays, which can be located conveniently for the operator. The trays areadjustable for mounting at optimum levels and are free to turn on thepost to provide easy access to the contents thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ahydraulic beauty shop chair, showing a tray-supporting device embodyingthe principles of the present invention attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the beauty shop chair and attachment deviceof the present invention, such view illustrating the positioning of thetrays along a circular path which is DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTReferring to FIG. 1, there is shown a beauty shop chair 8 and atray-supporting device 10 embodying the principles of the presentinvention. Typically, the chair is of the hydraulic lift type having anupstanding base 12 in which a vertically movable piston 14 is slidablyfitted. The piston constitutes the sole central support of a chair seat16, having the usual backrest 18, armrests 20, and footrest 22, as shownin FIG. 2. The lower end of the base 12 is fixed to a broad floor plate24, and its upper end 26 defines a circular surface disposed in ahorizontal plane. Pivotally mounted on the base are the usual levers 28and 30, operable in well-known manner for raising and lowering thepiston.

The device 10 includes a length of metal tubing 32 bent to the curvedconfiguration shown to provide an upright post 34, and a laterallyextending arm 36. The post supports a pair of trays 38, and the arm isfixed to a sleeve 40. The sleeve surrounds the piston 14, and iscoaxially fitted thereto for free turning about the axis A thereof, asshown in FIG. 3. The lower end of the sleeve is in engagement with theupper end 26 of the base 12, and rides thereon during turning. Duringturning of the sleeve, the post 34 generates a surface of revolutionwhich is concentric with the axis of the piston. Thus, the trays 38 movealong a path concentric to the piston axis.

The length of the arm 36 is chosen to place the post 34 at an optimumdistance beyond the chair to clear the lateral projections thereof andlocate the path of the trays over the floor area around the chair inwhich the beauty operator moves about and works in performing a beautyoperation. Such work area is generally defined by the usual cushionedpad 42, provided for the operator to stand on and fragmentarily shown inFIG. 1. It is to be noted that the trays are wholly supported by thechair, independently of the work area defined by the pad, and thereforeleave the area uncluttered. It is also to be noted that the piston 14can be raised and lowered without disturbing the level of sleeve 40,whereby the level of the trays 38 is maintained the same throughout thevarious positions of the chair.

As better shown in FIG. 2, each of the trays 38 is formed with ribs 44to provide compartments for holding hair rollers, pins, shears, bottlesof fluid, and other items. Each tray is also formed with a central hub46, through which the post 34 extends. Inviting attention to FIG. 4,each tray is adapted to be maintained at desired optimum level by asupporting collar 48. Each of the collars is slidably adjustably fittedto the post 34, in underlying relation to its tray, and is fixed to thepost in desired position of adjustment by a setscrew 50. Once theoptimum level of a tray is determined, such level is maintainedthroughout the various positions of the tray around the chair. The hubsof the trays are preferably journaled on the post 34 for easy turning ofthe trays to avoid the requirement for a long reach and provide easyaccess to the items contained in the trays.

The operation of the present invention is believed to be clearlyapparent and is briefly summarized at this point. Depending upon theheight of the beauty shop operator, the collars 48 are adjusted todispose the trays 38 at optimum level for the operator. With a customerin the chair 8, the levers 28 and 30 are actuated, as necessary, todispose the customer at a convenient level for the operator. Theoperator then works on the customer, moving about in the work area asnecessary, and pulling or pushing the post or a tray to locate the traysconveniently for the work at hand. Where a needed item is at theopposite end of the tray from the operator, the tray is easily turned toprovide access to the item without need of stretching or overreaching.Should the operator accidentally bump the trays, they merely move away,rather than overturn or trip the operator.

In view of the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the device of thepresent invention provides a tray support which leaves the work areaaround a beauty shop chair relatively clear and uncluttered, whileproviding for locating the trays at optimum level within convenientreach of the beauty operator working in the area around the chair, thusadding to the safety and efficiency of the operator.

Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceivedto be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized thatdepartures may be made therefrom, and that the invention is not to belimited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the fullscope of the claims that follow. For example, a split ring could be usedin place of the sleeve and the post could be fixedly connected to thearm rather than formed integrally therewith.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A tray-supporting device attachable to a beauty shop chair having acentrally disposed vertical support and an upstanding base relative towhich the support is vertically movable for adjusting the height of thechair, said device comprismg:

a coaxial sleeve surrounding the support and supported on a horizontalportion of the base at a fixed height for free turning about the axis ofthe support;

a tray-supporting member secured to the sleeve for turning therewith,said member having a laterally extending arm and an upright post, saidpost being disposed abaxially an optimum distance beyond the chair andmovable concentrically of the support axis by turning of the member forvariously positioning the post over an area around the chair in which abeauty operator works; and

a tray mounted on the post at an optimum level, whereby said member canbe turned for effectively locating the tray in various positions aroundthe chair convenient to the operator and the tray is maintained atoptimum level in its various positions independently of the height ofthe chair.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the chair is of the hydraulic lifttype having a vertically movable piston which constitutes the chairsupport, the base receives the piston and has an upper end which ishorizontal, and the sleeve slidably engages the piston and rests on saidupper end of the base during movement of the piston, whereby the tray issupported at the same level regardless of the height of the chair.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the tray-supporting member is a bentpiece of tubing consisting of an arm portion having one end thereoffixed to the sleeve and the other end thereof joined to an upright postportion on which the tray is mounted.

4. The device of claim 1 in which the tray is mounted on the post forrotation about the axis thereof, whereby the tray can be turned toprovide easy access to the contents thereof.

5. A tray-supporting device attachable to a beauty shop chair having acentrally disposed vertical support and an upstanding base, said devicecomprising:

a coaxial sleeve surrounding the support and supported on a horizontalportion of the base for free turning about the axis ofthe support;

a tray-supporting member secured to the sleeve for turning therewith,said member having a laterally extending arm and an upright post, saidpost being disposed abaxially an optimum distance beyond the chair andmovable concentrically of the support axis by turning of the member forvariously positioning the post over an area around the chair in which abeauty operator works; and

a tray mounted on the post at an optimum level, whereby said member canbe turned for selectively locating the tray in various positions aroundthe chair convenient to the operator and the tray is maintained atoptimum level in its various positions;

said tray having a central hub journaled on the post, and

said post having an adjustable supporting collar underlying the tray,whereby the tray is mounted on the post for rotation about the axisthereof and can be turned to provide easy access to its contents.

1. A tray-supporting device attachable to a beauty shop chair having acentrally disposed vertical support and an upstanding base relative towhich the support is vertically movable for adjusting the height of thechair, said device comprising: a coaxial sleeve surrounding the supportand supported on a horizontal portion of the base at a fixed height forfree turning about the axis of the support; a tray-supporting membersecured to the sleeve for turning therewith, said member having alaterally extending arm and an upright post, said post being disposedabaxially an optimum distance beyond the chair and movableconcentrically of the support axis by turning of the member forvariously positioning the post over an area around the chair in which abeauty operator works; and a tray mounted on the post at an optimumlevel, whereby said member can be turned for effectively locating thetray in various positions around the chair convenient to the operatorand the tray is maintained at optimum level in its various positionsindependently of the height of the chair.
 2. The device of claim 1 inwhich the chair is of the hydraulic lift type having a verticallymovable piston which constitutes the chair support, the base receivesthe piston and has an upper end which is horizontal, and the sleeveslidably engages the piston and rests on said upper end of the baseduring movement of the piston, whereby the tray is supported at the samelevel regardless of the height of the chair.
 3. The device of claim 1 inwhich the tray-supporting member is a bent piece of tubing consisting ofan arm portion having one end thereof fixed to the sleeve and the otherend thereof joined to an upright post portion on which the tray ismounted.
 4. The device of claim 1 in which the tray is mounted on thepost for rotation about the axis thereof, whereby the tray can be turnedto provide easy access to the contents thereof.
 5. A tray-supportingdevice attachable to a beauty shop chair having a centrally disposedvertical support and an upstanding base, said device comprising: acoaxial sleeve surrounding the support and supported on a horizontalportion of the base for free turning about the axis of the support; atray-supporting member secured to the sleeve for turning therewith, saidmember having a laterally extending arm and an upright post, said postbeing disposed abaxially an optimum distance beyond the chair andmovable concentrically of the support axis by turning of the member forvariously positioning the post over an area around the chair in which abeauty operator works; and a tray mounted on the post at an optimumlevel, whereby said member can be turned for selectively locating thetray in various positions around the chair convenient to the operatorand the tray is maintained at optimum level in its various positions;said tray having a central hub journaled on the post, and said posthaving an adjustable supporting collar underlying the tray, whereby thetray is mounted on the post for rotation about the axis thereof and canbe turned to provide easy access to its contents.